Food - Drink
Why You Should Be Defrosting Meat On An Aluminum Tray
By BAILEY BROCKETT
Meat is a beloved staple in the typical Western diet, but it can be expensive and often sold in large quantities, so freezing any extra cuts is a no-brainer. However, if you don't have several extra hours to let meat defrost on your counter, you have a much better option than tossing it in the microwave or running it under water.
A tray with a base made of heat-conducting metal, such as aluminum, can utilize basic thermodynamics to defrost your meat. Essentially, when one object of a specific temperature touches an object of a different temperature, the heat from the warmer object will flow into the colder one until both are equal temperatures.
This means that if you place a frozen chicken breast on an aluminum pan for a while, you cut down on 30% of the total defrosting time. However, leaving meat at room temperature for too long can cause foodborne illness, so only thaw thinner slices of meat, and wrap them in a plastic bag to keep liquid and bacteria from melting onto the tray.